Neon Genesis: Mortal
by Slayer6
Summary: CrossoverAU The first of what could be the last.Being Mortal can be rough, especially when the rest of your family is in Heaven.
1. Prologue

Neon Genesis: Mortal

Prologue

"Why are you always on MY case? You're never like that to HER!"

"She's never done anything half as bad as you!"

"BULLSHIT! That's a lie!"

"It is not! I don't lie! And don't you dare take that tone of voice with me!"

"Why not! It's the only time you actually listen to what I say!"

"That's not true!"

"Isn't it? You've always taken HER side in everything! You've always asked me 'Why can't you be more like your sister.' Well guess what Mom! I CAN'T BE LIKE HER! You've never given me a chance."

"I have always given you a ch……"

"Not since that day! He was the only one that could understand! And he's DEAD!"

"………"

"What nothing to say! You had plenty before!"

"What do you want?"

"I want you to stay the hell out of my life! It's my life now! I don't want you to have any part in it!"

"You can't mean that……"

"I do! Can't you tell I'm telling the truth! Maybe I should make it a wish! I wish you would stay out of my life!"

"………if that is your wish……"

"It is!"

"Then…………. It's granted."


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

perfect by nature  
icons of self indulgence  
just what we all need  
more lies about a world that

never was and never will be  
have you no shame don't you see me  
you know you've got everybody fooled

look here she comes now  
bow down and stare in wonder  
oh how we love you  
no flaws when you're pretending  
but now i know she

never was and never will be  
you don't know how you've betrayed me  
and somehow you've got everybody fooled

without the mask where will you hide  
can't find yourself lost in your lie

i know the truth now  
i know who you are  
and i don't love you anymore

it never was and never will be  
you don't know how you've betrayed me  
and somehow you've got everybody fooled

it never was and never will be  
you're not real and you can't save me  
somehow now you're everybody's fool

Evanescence – Everybody's Fool

2574

A loud insistent beep filled the room. The beep went on and on until a hand shot out from under the blankets and slapped it off.

Nothing moved in the room for several more minutes. Then the blankets were tossed aside and a young man of 22 sat up. After taking a moment to yawn, the man stepped out of bed and into the washroom. Flipping on a light, he looked at himself in the mirror, or at least tried too. The mirror was heavily fogged over, intentionally by the look of it, and could barely reflect anything.

The man rubbed his chin, feeling a days worth of stubble on it. He then shrugged and walked back into the bedroom and got dressed. He tossed a pop tart into the toaster, then turned and went to the small computer desk in the corner of the room. He picked up several papers and stuffed them into his backpack. He then put on a leather jacket and slung his backpack over a shoulder.

On his way towards the front door, he picked up the pop tart and stuck it in his mouth. He then left, closing the door behind him.

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The man walked quickly through the streets of Japoness, heading towards the University. The University had expanded quite a bit from it's humble beginnings, as had much of Japoness. In fact, Japoness had expanded so much, the name now applied to the country, while the original city had been officially dubbed Capital City. Still, only the newspapers, television, and official government sites listed it as Capitol City, everyone else referred to it as Japoness.

The man stopped at the statues of the Marionettes Lime, Cherry, and Bloodberry. He paused to look up at the statue of Lime, as he did everytime he stopped here.

"Hey Hacker!"

'Hacker' turned towards the student that quickly approached him.

"You know I hate that name Gen." 'Hacker' said.

"Yeah yeah." Gen replied, "Do you have it?"

"That depends. You have the money?"

"Yeah." Gen pulled out a small roll of bills held together by a rubber band. He placed it in 'Hacker's' hand. 'Hacker' then reached into his bag and pulled out several pages stapled together. Gen looked over the pages, the looked back up at Hacker.

"What?" 'Hacker' asked.

"Is this it?" Gen asked.

"Yes."

Gen looked back over the papers. "It just doesn't seem so tough."

"Well that's because you're looking at the answers." 'Hacker' replied, "Unless of course you want me to take them back……."

"No no no no." Gen replied, "It's just……. I expected Professor Kurosawa's test to be …..tougher."

"You get what you pay for man."

"Easy there Hacker. Nothing against you."

"Knock off that Hacker crap."

"Alright Sentaro fine."

Sentaro closed his backpack and then started off.

"Hey! See you for the next test!" Gen called out.

Sentaro didn't respond as he continued to walk. He'd only gone another ten meters when he heard a voice behind him.

"Still braking into the schools computers for the tests Hacker?"

Sentaro sighed.

"What are you? My conscience?"

From the shadows stepped out a young woman the same age as Sentaro. She moved some strands of her green hair from before her left eye.

"You do need one Sentaro." The woman said.

"Just let it go Megami."

"I will not let it go." Megami replied, "You know that if you get caught, you'll be expelled!"

"It's not like I need college anyway." Sentaro said.

Megami frowned. She raised her hand and smacked the back of Sentaro's head.

"OW!" Sentaro glared at Megami and rubbed the back of his head. "What the hell was that for?"

"I'm trying to knock sense into you." Megami replied, "I don't care how smart you are, or think you are. You need a college education to get anywhere."

"Yes mother."

Megami growled. "Someone needs an attitude adjustment."

"And are you going to give it to me?"

"Look! I'm your friend! Friends are supposed to watch out for each other!"

Sentaro sighed. "I spent the first eighteen years of my life having people watch out for me. I got tired of it."

Megami's face softened. "They only did it because they cared for you."

"Yeah right…….That was why they always wanted me to be more like my sister." Sentaro sighed and started walking.

"Hey!" Megami said, running to catch up to him. "Where are you going in a hurry? You late for class?"

"No." Sentaro said, "It's Wednesday. I'm meeting someone for breakfast."

"Can I come with?"

"No."

Megami frowned. "You cheating on me?"

Sentaro stopped and turned and looked at the woman.

"Since when were we ever together?" he asked.

"Well….you see……" Megami said with a slight blush.

"Right." Sentaro said, "While you're figuring that out, I have someone to meet."

He then turned and headed up the street, leaving Megami behind.

"Meet you for lunch!" she called out.

"We'll see." came the reply.

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Sentaro entered the restaurant and looked around. The place was always busy this time of morning, and today was no different. He glanced towards the counter and spotted the server cook behind it. The man narrowed his eyes at Sentaro, then broke off eye contact. Sentaro ignored him and looked around at the various customers. He spotted his 'date' for the morning and quickly walked over and took a seat before her.

"You're late." She said.

Sentaro sighed, "Give me a break Celes, I've already had a difficult morning."

Celes Victoria gave Sentaro a smirk, showing off her fangs.

"What illegal thing are you involved with now?"

"Nothing you need to worry about." Sentaro replied as he picked up the menu.

"I should be worried since I'm technically the police." She then nodded at the menu. "I already ordered."

Sentaro raised an eyebrow.

"Should I be worried then?"

"Not really," Celes replied, "I ordered your usual. At least this time he won't burn it."

"I wouldn't put it past him to still burn it."

Celes sighed, "How long is this going to go on between you two?"

"What do you mean us two? They're all against me."

"Not all of them." Celes said, "Your Grandmother misses you."

"She's probably the only one that does." Sentaro said.

Before Celes could respond, the waitress, Cherry, walked over with their meals. Sentaro gave Cherry a smile, which was returned weakly. Sentaro looked down at his food. It seemed fine. He grabbed a chopstick, picked a piece up and put it in his mouth. His face fell almost immediately.

"It can't be burnt!" Celes said.

"No….." Sentaro said with a sigh, "It's cold." He tapped the piece of food against the plate. It clinked. "Frozen as a matter of fact."

Celes started to get up. "I'm going to give him a piece of…."

"No." Sentaro said with a sigh, "Let him be."

"But it's….."

"Never mind." Sentaro said. He looked down at the plate. "Why do we meet here anyway?"

"Because it's the closest restaurant between me and you, and convenient enough for us to get to work and school on time."

Sentaro let out another sigh. "They need to open more restaurants around here."

"Why don't you guys just try talk……"

"No." Sentaro said, "Because I know what he'll say. More specifically, I know who he wants me to talk to, and I won't."

"Why not?"

"I'm busy."

Celes narrowed her eyes. "That's just an excuse."

"Fine." Sentaro replied, "Let's leave it at that."

"No. You're going to give me a very good excuse why you won't talk to her."

Sentaro stared at the plate. "The last time we talked, we got into a fight because of how I wanted to live my life. She was always around, watching over me, protecting me." He looked up. "You know how annoying it is to want to do something for yourself and having someone interfere with that?"

"Kind of." Celes replied.

"That was my life 24/7." Sentaro said with a sigh, "And then them being what they are, they were always off doing this or that, never cared what I needed."

"I don't think that's true." Celes said.

"Now you sound like them. Actions speak louder then words." Sentaro stood up. "Their actions were very clear to me."

"Where are you going?" Celes asked.

"Class."

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Sentaro sat bored out of his mind. Sure this class was one of his favorites, but this particular class the students were giving presentations. Not that they were not interesting, it was just ever time he looked up, he caught Megami staring at him.

Nothing against her, she was a very attractive woman, but that name of hers brought up a lot of bad memories.

"Mister Aida."

Sentaro sat up abruptly as the Professor stared at him.

"Sir?"

"I gave this class an assignment to talk about their family." The Professor said, "I believe you were here when I assigned it."

"Yes sir." Sentaro replied.

"Then why don't you come up here and tell us about your family."

"I'd rather not sir."

The Professor frowned.

"Come now Mr. Aida." The Professor said, "IF anyone should be proud of their family it should be you."

"Then you don't know my family." Sentaro stated, "If anyone is really all that interested, they can pick up a history book and read that."

The Professor's frown grew deeper.

"Very well."

Suddenly the class wouldn't end soon enough.

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Sentaro sighed as class finally ended. He quickly gathered his things and raced from the classroom. The reason for his hurry was not that he had any particular place to go, though he did wish to escape before the Professor could stop him. No, he just wanted to avoid what usually occurred after class.

The gathering of his fan club.

He wasn't exactly sure when he got a Fan Club. He knew he wasn't unattractive, due to his mother's side. But he wasn't exactly an unknown either. Ever since that day so long ago, his family's name was known to all. Now as soon as it was found out he was the son of Kensuke Aida, people gathered around him. He didn't want to change his last name, it was the only connection he had left with his father. If he got rid of that, then THEY would truly have won.

And he wasn't going to let that happen.

Sentaro had just rounded the corner of the hallway when he heard a loud "THERE HE IS!" followed by the screams of girls.

Sentaro didn't even look. He took off in a run, passing people left and right in the hallway. The fan club didn't have such reservations. They brutally knocked people out of the way in their quest for him.

He rounded a corner and was just passing a doorway when a hand shot out and grabbed him, pulling him into the room. The door slammed shut behind him, plunging the room into total darkness. Sentaro gave out a cry that was quickly muffled by the hand that went over his mouth. The sounds of his fan club stopped just outside the door.

"Where is he?"

"He went around this corner!"

The door rattled, as did the door across the hall.

"Doors are locked, he can't have gotten to far ahead! Let's go!"

The sounds of his fan club soon grew distant. Sentaro let out a sigh. The hand came away from his face.

"Aren't we the popular one." Came a voice he knew all to well.

"What do you want Mana?" Sentaro asked as he flipped on the lights.

Mana Kirishima, Demoness Class 0, pouted at him.

"That's all I get? A 'What do you want?'"

Sentaro crossed his arms.

"You haven't visited me in almost two years." He replied, "Last time you needed help with some computer thing involving Gartlant's computer system."

Mana sighed. "Things have been busy. The Rogue Demons are back."

"So? I've known that. I was there the day they let us know that."

Mana closed her eye, remembering that day. She shook her head, closing off the memories of it, and looked back at Sentaro.

"They've been getting more sneaky, setting traps and other nasty stuff days even weeks in advance before it goes off. You remember that computer failure at the New Texas Stock Market?"

Sentaro nodded. Everyone knew about that. It had made global news and had almost brought the economies of Terra 2 to a halt.

"That was the work of the Rogues."

"So why are you here?" Sentaro asked, "You need help?"

"No." Mana said softly, "I'm here because you might be in danger."

"From what? The Demons?"

"Yes."

"What for?"

"Sentaro, you are the son of a High Level Goddess, as well as the Grandson of a Council member of Heaven. THAT makes you a target."

Sentaro sighed. "I thought I'd finally gotten them out of my life, and they find a new way to fuck me over."

"They aren't doing this intentionally and you know it." Mana said sternly.

"Whatever." Sentaro replied, " So? Is that it?"

Mana blinked. "Aren't you worried?"

"Honestly? No."

"Why not?"

"What's the point in worrying?" Sentaro asked, "We all die eventually. After that, we end up in Heaven, or in Hell." He then shrugged. "Considering the way most of my family feels about me, it'll most likely be hell for me."

"You seem remarkably calm about that." Mana noted.

Sentaro shrugged. "It's not like anyone will miss me, other then maybe Dad. But then I haven't been allowed to see him at all."

"There's a reason why…….."

"What reason?" Sentaro asked, "I got to see Grandpa. He's been dead for five centuries!"

"Yeah but….."

Sentaro raised his hand, cutting her off. "They've bent the rules before, they always have and you know it."

"But….."

"Mana, thank you for your warning. I'll be careful. Other then that, I have class in about five minutes." He turned and opened the door to the room. He gave a quick glance down either end of the hallway, then looked back at Mana. "Maybe we can meet for lunch or dinner sometime." He then vanished into the hallway.

Mana stared a moment more at the empty doorway before crossing her arms and vanishing in a fireball.

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Later that day.

As expected, Megami was waiting for him at his usual lunch spot in the cafeteria.

"Why are you always here?" Sentaro asked.

"Friends don't let friends eat lunch alone." Megami replied with a smile.

"Isn't that supposed to be 'drive drunk'?"

"So I changed it." Megami replied, "Besides, if you want me to leave, I'm sure your fan club would be most happy to take my spot." She pointed.

Sentaro followed her finger towards a table entirely filled with girls. They all watched him and Megami expectantly. When Megami started to rise from the table, the other girls quickly grabbed their trays, ready to fill the spot left by Megami's departure.

Sentaro quickly reached out and grabbed Megami's arm.

"Please stay." He said.

Megami smiled and sat back down. The groans of frustration could easily be heard from the fan club table.

"So….. Where were you after class?" Megami asked, "I saw you high tail it out of there."

"I had to ditch the fan club." Sentaro replied, "Lost them in a class room."

"Oh really." Megami replied, "You didn't try to meet someone new?"

"No."

"Then who is that?" Megami asked, pointing.

"Who is…" Sentaro followed Megami's finger to another table, where another student sat alone. Her face was hidden in a book, but Sentaro could easily see her honey brown hair, as well as two unmistakable strands of hair coming off of her bangs.

"No…." Sentaro muttered, "It can't be……"

"Can't be who?" Megami asked.

Sentaro looked back at Megami. "Has she been there the entire time?"

"No." Megami replied, "She followed you in and hasn't kept her eyes off you. Who is she?"

Sentaro grumbled slightly as he looked back at the other table, just barely catching the woman hiding her face behind the book again. "I have an idea, but I need to confirm it."

"Oh?"

"When I look back to you, let me know when she starts to stare at me."

"Ok…..anything else?"

"Yeah." Sentaro looked back at Megami. "Think of the most erotic things you can think of."

Megami blinked. "WHAT!"

"Just do it."

"Fine. But you'll owe me." Megami muttered, "Ok she's looking."

Sentaro just closed his eyes and a picture formed in his mind, a very erotic and perverted one.

A loud crash caused everyone in the cafeteria to stop what they were doing. Sentaro opened his eyes and turned. As expected, the student who had been watching them was on her back, her chair having apparently fallen over. The student waved off others attempts to help her.

"Come on." Sentaro said to Megami as he stood up.

Megami followed him over to the student who was reaching under the table for her book.

"Why are you here Kristine?" Sentaro asked.

Kristine raised her head quickly, not realizing she was still under the table. The table lifted into the air with a thud as her head slammed into the under side. She finally reappeared above the table, holding her head and glaring at Sentaro. She pointed at him.

"You did that on purpose!"

"Yes." Sentaro said, "Now why are you here?"

"I'm a University Student?" Kristine said weakly.

"You graduated I believe three years ago." Sentaro replied, "Try again."

"I'm taking Graduate courses?"

"One more try."

"Watching you alright." Kristine said finally, sitting back in her chair.

"Who is she?" Megami asked.

Sentaro sighed. He'd forgotten about Megami.

"Megami, this is my sister, Kristine Aida."

Kristine blinked, "Megami?"

"…….And now that we've met her, we are leaving." Sentaro said.

"Wait…." Kristine started to say, but Sentaro had already turned away and was starting to walk away. He was, until Megami caught him that is.

"I didn't know you had a sister." Megami said, holding onto his arm. "You never talk about her." A quizzical look came over her face. "Come to think of it, you never talk about your family, even for a grade."

"And there are good reasons why." Sentaro replied, trying to free his arm. "Can we go?"

"No." Megami looked at Kristine. "Why doesn't he talk about his family?"

Kristine looked at Sentaro who was glaring daggers at her.

"He and Mom got into a big fight about five years ago." Kristine said, "They've been fighting all along since Dad….well….you know. This was the final one. He left," Kristine pointed at Sentaro, "after telling our mother he wished to never see her again."

"It worked." Sentaro said, grinding his teeth, "Until today, now everyone is visiting me. You, Mana, who's next? Arael? Auntie Skuld? Maybe Grandma Belldandy. She's actually the only one I'd love to see."

"Why her?" Kristine asked softly.

"Because she's the only one of you who ever really cared about me!" Sentaro shouted, finally freeing his arm from Megami. He then turned and stormed off.

Kristine sighed. "This really sucks."

"Was he right?" Kristine looked up at Megami.

"Is his Grandmother the only one that cares?" Megami asked.

"No." Kristine said. "Mom still cares. But he's closed all avenues of communication between them."

Megami was quiet for a moment. She then grabbed Kristine's arm and pulled.

"Come on. We need to talk."

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	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

This is my December  
This is my time of the year  
This is my December  
This is all so clear  
This is my December  
This is my snow covered home  
This is my December  
This is me alone

And I  
Just wish that  
I didn't feel  
Like there was  
Something I missed  
And I  
Take back all  
The things I said  
To make you  
Feel like that  
And I  
Just wish that  
I didn't feel  
Like there was  
Something I missed  
And I  
Take back all the  
Things I said to you

And I give it all away  
Just to have somewhere  
To go to  
Give it all away  
To have someone  
To come home to

This is my December  
These are my snow-covered trees  
This is me pretending  
This is all I need

And I  
Just wish that  
I didn't feel  
Like there was  
Something I missed  
And I  
Take back all  
The things I said  
To make you feel like that  
And I  
Just wish that  
I didn't feel  
Like there was  
Something I missed  
And I  
Take back all the things  
I said to you

And I give it all away  
Just to have  
Somewhere to go to  
Give it all away  
To have someone  
To come home to

This is my December  
This is my time of the year  
This is my December  
This is all so clear

And I give it all away  
Just to have somewhere  
To go to  
Give it all away  
To have someone  
To come home to

Linkin Park – My December

Sentaro sat in his room, staring at an old photograph. It had been taken in much happier times, back when he was ten and Kristine was fifteen. In it, the faces of his younger self and his sister smiled towards him. Standing behind them were his parents. He tossed the picture aside and pulled out another. This one was from a bit later, after they had found Mana. The Demoness, as well as Celes smiled at him from the picture. He tossed that one aside and pulled out another picture. This one caused him to raise an eyebrow.

He didn't think he even had this one. It was of his parents, taken days just before his father's death. Thinking about his father caused the memory of that fatal day to return……….

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"…to this end." Shogun Ieyasu the 16th said, "I propose to build a space ship, a ship that's sole purpose will be to restore communication with the planet of our ancestors, Earth!"

The crowd roared it's approval. Young Sentaro also cheered. If they restored contact with Earth, he could visit there without getting in trouble with his Grandmother. He started to turn to tell his sister Kristine as much when their father bolted from the corner he had been standing at and ran towards the Shogun. Just behind him, he heard his Grandmother, as well as Dawn, Mana, and Mara gasp.

Just as his father got to the Shogun, there was an explosion of red. Sentaro was hit full in the face and fell backwards in surprise. As he fell, something whizzed over his head and he heard Mana grunt in pain.

Sentaro lay on his back a moment, looking up at the sky. Sounds of the crowd screaming soon reached his ears. Then, his view of the sky was blocked by the worried face of his Grandmother.

"Sentaro!" she cried out, "Are you alright!"

"Grandma?" Sentaro asked confused.

"Are you hurt!" Belldandy repeated.

"I don't think so." Sentaro said.

"Milady!" Dawn cried out from beside him, "We must get inside!"

"Kris!" Belldandy called out.

Sentaro felt arms grab him and then the view of the sky was replaced by the ceiling of the castle.

"The Shogun is safe!" he heard Celes cry out, "I repeat Shogun is safe!"

"Where's Dad?" he heard Kris' voice.

"Mana are you alright?" came Mara's voice.

"Yeah, sure stings like hell."

"Mana where's my Father?"

"Isn't he in here?"

"No!"

"Then where………..oh no…….."

"Daddy? Daddy! DADDY!"

"No Kris! You can't help him!"

"DADDY!"

"MARA! HELP ME HOLD HER!"

"Alright alright!"

"DADDY!"

"Dawn, get on the phone. Tell Peorth or Urd or whoever's in charge who's on the way up."

"Yes Milady. What about Aunt Sayoko?"

Sentaro heard his Grandmother sigh.

"I fear…….she already knows."

The situation was finally too much for him, and Sentaro's brain shut down.

When he awoke, he found himself at home in his room. He turned his head to the side. Sitting in a chair beside his bed was a sleeping Mana. She wore a loose t-shirt and jeans. He could just see bandages wrapped around her left shoulder from the neck of her shirt.

"Mana?" he called out.

Mana's eye snapped open. She gave a quick look around, before her eye met Sentaro's.

"You're awake." Mana said.

"What happened?" Sentaro asked, "Where's Mom and Dad?"

Mana bit her lip.

"What do you remember?" Mana asked.

"I remember the speech, and then a bunch of red and….."

Mana raised her right hand, causing him to stop.

"Your mother is here." Mana said softly.

"By why isn't she here with me?" Sentaro asked.

"She's really upset right now." Mana replied, "She didn't want to bother you."

"Why is she upset?" Sentaro asked, "And where's Dad?"

Mana stood up. "I'll go get your mother." She started towards the door.

"Auntie." Mana froze. "Where is Dad?"

Mana took in a deep breathe before turning and looking at Sentaro.

"I'm sorry Sentaro," she said, "But he's dead."

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2574

Sentaro sat up with a scream. A quick look around showed that he was still in his room. Sentaro glanced at the clock on his bed stand. Eight A.M. Somehow he'd fallen asleep thinking of the past.

And now he was running late.

Very late.

He leaped out of bed, threw on a change of clothes, grabbed his bag and raced out the door.

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Lunch

Megami looked across the table at Sentaro. He was practically falling asleep while trying to eat his lunch.

"Bad night?" she asked.

"The worst." Sentaro replied.

"Want to talk about it?"

Sentaro looked up at Megami.

"Please?" Megami said, "It might help."

"Nightmares." Sentaro said flatly, "All about the day my father died."

Megami nodded. "Considering what you saw, I don't blame you."

Sentaro blinked. "And how do you know what I saw?"

"Your sister." Megami replied, "She felt your girlfriend should know everything."

Sentaro sighed, "Haven't we been over this already? You're not my girlfriend."

"I'm a girl, and your friend." Megami said with a smile, "Thus, I'm your girlfriend."

"Now you sound like Auntie Rei." Sentaro mumbled.

"Who?"

"Never mind." Sentaro said, waving his hand.

"Right." Megami looked down at her lunch. "So, have you decided yet?"

"Decided what?"

Megami rolled her eyes. "Wither you're going to Earth for Spring Break or not!"

"I still don't see why you want to go there." Sentaro said, "It's so dark and filthy. Hell, there's not a green spot on that rock."

"Actually." Megami said, "There are a few spots. I really want to go to Neo-Tokyo and see the Tokyo-3 Memorial Park."

Sentaro raised an eyebrow. "Why there?"

"Because that's the place where the Evangelions fought five centuries ago, duh." Megami rolled her eyes, "Don't you pay attention in history class?"

"Yes." Sentaro replied.

"Well then you know…." Megami's voice trailed off as the entire building shuddered. She and Sentaro weren't the only ones that noticed.

All over the cafeteria, conversations stopped as the students looked around.

"Earthquake?" Megami said.

"Probably." Sentaro replied, "Though we haven't had one in…"

His voice trailed off as the building shook more violently. Pieces of plaster rained down as the ceiling cracked in places. Students screamed and ran for doorways and arches. Sentaro dove under the table, then reached up and pulled Megami under with him.

"WHAT THE HELL!" Megami screamed.

"JUST HOLD ON!" Sentaro shouted back.

The room continued to shake for almost seven minutes. Finally, everything went still. Sentaro moved out from under the table, followed by Megami. Other students walked about in a state of complete shock.

"Come on." Sentaro said, tugging on Megami, "It may not be safe in here."

The two ran out of the building and paused on a grassy area of the campus. Smoke could be seen rising from several areas of the city. Several of the campus buildings had portions missing or had cracks running along their facades. The sky itself was another shock. The bright blue of a sunny day had given way to a black cloudy sky, yet it was still bright enough that it was as if the clouds weren't even there.

"That's weird." Megami said, looking at the sky.

"Come on." Sentaro said, leading her by the arm again.

"What do you suppose made the sky that color?"

"I don't know." Sentaro said, "But I know who to ask."

"Oh?" Megami replied, looking back down from the sky. "Are you on talking terms to Kami-sama?"

"He is my great-grandfather." Sentaro replied.

"WHAT!"

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Several detours, another earthquake, and three hours later, Sentaro and Megami walked up to the restaurant that he and Celes had eaten at the day before.

"Let me get this straight." Megami said, "Your mom, sister, and grandmother are goddesses?"

"Yep."

"And you hate them!"

"Let's just say we don't get along." Sentaro said, "And that's only my immediate family. I love my Grandmother to death."

"But why are we coming to a restaurant?" Megami asked, looking at the place.

"Because of my Uncle." Sentaro replied.

He walked up to the door and entered the restaurant. As he suspected, the dining area was empty, no customers nor waitresses in sight. Sentaro looked back at Megami, then walked up to the counter and peered back into the kitchen.

There he spotted his Uncle Keima and Aunt Lime, both talking quietly to his two other adoptive Aunts, Cherry and Bloodberry. Cherry was the first to notice Sentaro. She said something to Keima who looked over at Sentaro. Keima's face immediately turned to a frown. He walked towards the counter.

"Why are you here?" Keima demanded.

"The entire city just rocked and rolled," Sentaro said, "The sky has gone completely black, yet it's still as bright as day out. Why do you think I'm here?"

Keima was about to reply when Lime walked up beside him.

"I'm glad you're alright." Lime said.

Sentaro looked at Lime. "What is going on?"

"We don't know." Lime said, "Keima was on the phone to …….." Lime's voice trailed off when she noticed Megami standing at the entrance to the restaurant.

"It's alright." Sentaro said, "I told her."

Keima's eye twitched. "That was not your secret to tell!"

"I told her about my family." Sentaro said, "As dysfunctional as it is."

"You…." Keima started before Lime touched his arm. Lime looked back at Sentaro.

"All Peorth said was they were working on the problem."

"So we just sit here while the city shakes?" Sentaro asked.

"It's not just the city." Keima said. "The entire planet, even Earth was hit too."

"WHAT!" Sentaro shouted.

"I'm sorry." Megami said, walking up, "But how can Earth be affected by what's happening here?"

Keima looked at Megami, then at Sentaro. "You didn't explain everything did you?"

Sentaro shrugged, "I just told her what my family was, not the mechanics of the universe."

"Right." Keima looked back at Megami. "In a nut shell, what keeps the universe running smoothly is a giant computer called Yggdrasil. The Gods and Goddesses of Heaven keep Yggdrasil running, and have done so since time began. Of course there's been lots of upgrades since then, but the basic system is as it was. So, technically, the Earth is not being affected by what is happening here. Earth and Terra 2 are both being affected by what's happening at Yggdrasil."

"Oh." Megami said.

The restaurant trembled then. Everyone dove under a table or the counter as the building shuddered for six minutes.

"Peorth will handle it right?" Sentaro called out.

"Oh shut up." Came Keima's reply.

"Will you two knock it off!" Bloodberry shouted, "Keep it up and I'll pound the both of you!"

"Why is the room spinning?" Megami asked, holding her head. Blood could be seen between her fingers.

Sentaro looked up to see that some of the ceiling had fallen just over where Megami had been.

"Shit." Sentaro swore as he went to her side. He helped Megami to lay down, then looked back up over the counter. "I need a bag of ice."

"Forget that." Keima said, leaping over the counter. He knelt down beside Megami and placed his hand on her forehead. It glowed for a second, then he lifted his hand away. Megami blinked her eyes, then stared at Keima.

"You…….you really are a God!"

"Well…yeah." Keima replied, confused.

Megami turned to Sentaro and grabbed him by the collar.

"I THOUGHT YOU WERE JOKING!" she shouted. She stopped shaking him, but maintained a grip on his collar. "Or that you're all insane." She added.

"Nice to see your friend has such a high opinion of you." Keima said with a smirk.

Sentaro closed his eyes and sighed.

"Megami can you let me go?"

"Megami?" Keima looked at the woman, then back at Sentaro, "You hang out with a girl named Megami!"

"So what?"

Keima just shook his head up muttering about how ironic it was and that Kami-sama had a strange sense of humor. Sentaro rolled his eyes, then looked done at Megami.

"You seriously thought I was joking?" he asked.

"Well yeah!" Megami replied, "I mean who seriously tells someone they're descended from Gods?"

"Point taken." Sentaro said.

"So what happens now?"

"Now? We wait." Sentaro sat back against the counter and closed his eyes.

"Wait?" Megami asked, "For what?"

"For whatever happens next."

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For the next three hours, everyone remained in the restaurant. Several times the building shook as yet another earthquake rocked the city. During those times, Sentaro could hear his Uncle cursing either Peorth or his Aunt Urd, wondering what was taking them so long.

Finally after the eighth earthquake in twenty minutes, Keima leaped to his feet.

"I can't take it anymore!" he shouted.

He stomped to the phone and dialed a long number. After a moment of listening to the phone, he set it back on the receiver, a strange expression on his face.

"What is it?" Cherry asked.

"I couldn't get through." Keima said, still looking at the phone.

"Keima!" came Lime's shout from the back, "The Mirror is glowing!"

Keima quickly ran back into the kitchen. Sentaro grabbed Megami's arm and pulled her along as he followed his Uncle. Once in the kitchen, he could easily see the glowing mirror just beside the sink. With a slight pop, Kristine burst through the mirror and landed gracefully on her feet.

"Holy Shi!" Megami started to say before Sentaro covered her mouth.

Kristine glanced at Megami with a stunned expression.

"Don't worry about it." Keima said, "She knows and we'll deal with it later. Now what's going on?"

"Yggdrasil is down." Kristine said, her voice cracking slightly.

Keima just stared at his niece. Sentaro spoke up.

"How can it be down?" he asked, "If it goes down the Universe ends!"

"I know that little brother." Kristine said, turning, "It's still running, but we can't access it at all. Everyone, even Kami-sama was locked out. Nothing we tried did anything."

"Great." Keima said, "So the Universe is screwed."

"No." Kristine replied, her face beginning to grow upset. "Mom tried something, a last ditch effort."

"What?" Keima asked.

"She….tried to access Yggdrasil directly."

Keima's eyes went wide.

"No one has been able to do that in Eons! The system became too big for one mind to encompass it! It would fry a God's mind in a second!"

"That's what Grandma said," Kristine said, sniffing, "But Mom thought her being Half-Mortal might help."

"How did she figure that?" Keima asked.

"I'm not sure." Kristine said, "She had some kind of idea and Auntie Skuld agreed. So……they tried it."

"What happened to Mom?" Sentaro asked.

Kristine turned and stared at her brother. "Why do you care?"

"Just tell me!" Sentaro shouted.

"She's locked in Yggdrasil." Kristine said, tears now falling from her eyes. "We can't disconnect her because it'd kill her and we can't leave her hook up for long because that could kill her too!"

Keima sat down on a nearby chair and held his head in his hands.

Kristine looked at Keima.

"Grandma sent me to get you all," She looked over at Sentaro. "Even you."

Keima looked over at Sentaro, his face neutral. Sentaro knew his Uncle was wondering what he'd say to going up to Heaven. Sentaro decided to give him a shock.

"Fine." Sentaro said, "Let's go." He glanced at Megami. "And you are coming with."

"ME!" Megami exclaimed, "Why?"

"….The last thing that I need is to end up surrounded by family. They'll drive me nuts within minutes."

"Oh."

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The Heavens

They appeared inside the small forest that had been planted beside the Yggdrasil Building. Looking up, one could just see the enormous building that housed the world computer. Sentaro ignored the sight, having seen it all before. Megami just stared in awe as they moved towards the doorway. They entered the entry hall and once again, Megami stared in awe.

"Wow." She whispered.

"Yeah." Sentaro said, "You get used to it."

Kristine led them up several flights of stairs before heading down a hallway. She stopped before a set of massive doors, flanked on either side by six Valkyries.

"I have brought Lord Keima and the mortals Lime, Cherry, Bloodberry, as well as the son of Lady Sayoko." Kristine said, "Let us pass."

The Valkyries moved enough to permit entry through the doors, which opened as Kristine approached. Sentaro now found himself in a room he'd only seen once, the Yggdrasil Control room. Terminals were scattered throughout the chamber, all surrounding the main core. In the main core, the three spindles slowly turned about, the only visible sign that Yggdrasil still functioned.

Kristine led them to the main control area, where the admins typically sat before the SysOp. Erie, Ex, and Chrono were all busy at their terminals, still trying to gain access to the system. Urd sat on the SysOp chair, typing commands into her own console. In front of them, the main screen was dark.

"How's that?" Urd shouted out.

"Better!" came a reply. Sentaro looked down to see a pair of legs sticking out from under the SysOp terminal. "Gimmie a second……."

With a slight pop, the main screen lit up. Information scrolled up the screen, moving so fast, Sentaro couldn't make any sense of it.

"Well the screen works again." Urd shouted out.

The legs began to kick, and soon Peorth appeared from under the terminal. She looked up at the screen.

"Anything else?" she asked.

Urd tapped out a few things on the terminal.

"Nope." She finally said, "Still nothing."

"Damn."

"Auntie Urd, Auntie Peorth." Kristine called out.

Urd and Peorth turned towards the group. Their eyes narrowed slightly when they spotted Sentaro and Megami.

"I see you brought him." Urd said.

"Yes Auntie." Kristine replied.

"Very well." Urd stepped off the SysOp platform and floated to the floor. "Follow me." She said to the group.

Urd led them towards a wall. She paused for a moment, then waved her hand. The wall parted, opening to reveal an elevator. Everyone moved inside and the doors closed. The elevator began to descend even without input from Urd. It was quiet in the elevator, though Sentaro did see Urd glancing at Keima every now and then. Kristine too glanced at Keima, but also through a glance at Sentaro. He knew then that just because one couldn't hear the talking, didn't mean there wasn't any conversation going on. Before he could say anything about telepathically talking behind people's backs, Megami whispered in his ear.

"Where are we going?"

Sentaro glanced at her. "I don't know. I've never been in the control room before."

The elevator plunged into silence once more. Finally, the elevator reached it's destination and the doors opened. The room beyond was much darker then the control room. Pipes and conduits raced about overhead and along the walls.

"This is the core of Yggdrasil." Urd said, answering the unspoken question. "No one comes down here unless there're bugs detected here."

The group followed Urd through the room, taking turns past several large pieces of conduit. Finally, they reached a small open area where a terminal had been set up against what at first seemed to be a wall. Belldandy was kneeling beside the chair, head down, not noticing the group. Skuld was tinkering off to the side with what looked like a laptop. The laptop had several cables running up to the terminal. It was Skuld that first noticed the group. She said something to Belldandy.

Belldandy's head shot up and turned so fast, one might have thought she'd been electrocuted. She was immediately on her feet and running towards the group. She didn't stop until she had Sentaro wrapped tightly in her arms. Everyone present seemed slightly shocked by the Elder Goddess' reaction. Sentaro blinked for a moment, then returned the hug.

"I've missed you so much." Belldandy said softly to Sentaro. He felt something dampen his shoulder, and realized his grandmother was crying. They remained this way for several minutes. Finally, Sentaro spoke.

"Where's Mom?"

Belldandy released her Grandson and wiped her eyes. She then took him by the arm and led him towards the chair.

"She's here." Belldandy said softly.

Sentaro moved around beside the chair to get a better view. There was a goddess in the chair. Her eyes and part of her face was covered by a strange device. But he could see the marking on the goddess' forehead, the same marking that adorned the foreheads of his Grandmother and sister. Other then the marking, nothing else about the goddess helped him to recognize her as his mother. She was very frail and her once brown hair was completely white.

"What happened to her?" Sentaro asked, "Is it because of Yggdrasil?"

"No." Belldandy said softly, "It's not."

"Then what?" Sentaro asked.

"You."

Sentaro turned around. It was his sister who had spoken. Kristine pointed her finger at Sentaro, her face one of anger.

"You did this to her."


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"You did this to her."

Sentaro stared at his sister. "What?"

Kristine's eyes had started to glow.

"The day you left," she said, "No….the day you wished her out of your life, it broke her!"

"She was never the same." Keima said, "She dove into work, trying to forget, but as you know, we can never forget."

"It ate away at her like a poison." Kristine said, "She became weaker and weaker……."

"What you see is the result of five years of heartache." Keima said, "And you were the cause!"

Sentaro glared at them.

"You can't blame this on me!" he shouted, "She's just as much at fault as I am!"

Keima turned and looked at Belldandy.

"Why did you want him here?" he asked, "He'll never consent to help her."

"Consent to what?" Sentaro asked, "Why am I here?"

Belldandy let out a sigh. She then placed a hand on Sentaro's shoulder. Suddenly, Sentaro was no longer at Yggdrasil's core. He was now in his Grandmother's office. She maneuvered him into a chair and walked towards her door.

"Cayla." She called out, "I am not to be disturbed. By anyone."

"Yes ma'am." came Cayla's voice.

Belldandy closed the door, then walked around behind her desk and sat down.

"Did I do that to Mom?" Sentaro asked.

Belldandy sighed. "As you said, you weren't entirely at fault. There were many things that led her to this. The sudden loss of your father, then your constant fighting, followed by your wish. Then the Rogue Demons have been far more active then ever before." Belldandy looked out the window. "Your mother has also been experiencing nightmares, related to a demon that captured her so long ago." She leaned forward. "Don't take what your sister and your uncle say seriously. But also, pay attention. There is much anger directed towards you. Much of it is unwarranted, as they do not have the full story."

"And you do?" Sentaro asked.

"Yes." Belldandy answered, "She came to me after you wished her away. I couldn't believe you'd do such a thing, so I asked her to tell me, which she did." Belldandy's eyes narrowed slightly. "Everything."

Sentaro looked down at the floor, not able to meet his Grandmother's eyes.

"What do you think?" he finally asked.

"As I said, the fault is not entirely yours. Your mother finally admitted to me that she was wrong. She became overly protective of you, and didn't give you the free reign that you needed. Yet, your actions caused her need to protect you increase to the point it became smothering. Which led to your final fight." Belldandy sat back. "Keima and Kristine do not know this. Though your mother did try to sway them, they let their emotions blind them. Seeing as she was resigned to what had happened and then watching her slowly deteriorate, they choose to blame you and thus, their anger towards you."

Sentaro sat and let all that he had just been told sink in.

"Why didn't you tell them?" he finally asked.

"It was not my place to." Belldandy replied sadly, "and your mother specifically told me not to."

Sentaro went quiet again. Finally after a few minutes, he looked up at his Grandmother.

"Why was I brought here?" he asked.

"To do what we cannot." Belldandy replied, "Fix Yggdrasil."

"How?" Sentaro asked, "I'm not a god."

"That is exactly why." Belldandy said, "Strange as it may be, a mortal mind is what is needed."

"I don't understand." Sentaro said.

"Skuld had to explain it to me several times before I fully understood." Belldandy said. She then stood up and moved to the window. She looked back at Sentaro and motioned for him to stand beside her. Once he was standing at the window, she turned and looked out.

"What do you see when you look out there?" she asked.

Sentaro looked out for a moment.

"I see a city surrounded on all sides by green pastures and forests." He said, then looked back at his Grandmother. "What do you see?"

"I see a city full of billions upon billions of souls." Belldandy replied, "Each soul happy with the life they have lived and enjoying their paradise as you put it."

"Whoa." Sentaro said, looking back out the window, "I knew heaven was big but….wow."

"There lies the problem." Belldandy said, "Skuld's explanation was that when a mortal sees things, their mind breaks it down. Yes, they know they are part of a whole, but they are focused on a task. For us gods, we see the big picture here in heaven. We look at everything as a whole without breaking it down." Belldandy turned and looked at Sentaro, "Thus, when one of us tries to access Yggdrasil's core, our minds become overwhelmed with information and we……shut down. It was not always so. When Yggdrasil first started up, the Gods could directly link with Yggdrasil, but as Creation grew, so did Yggdrasil until we could no longer access it in such a way again. That led to sharing the load amongst all the gods. We still can control Yggdrasil, but now through many Terminals."

"So why did Mom try to link to the core if you just said it would overwhelm a god?" Sentaro asked, "Why did you need to link in the first place?"

"A Rogue Demon placed a virus in the system." Belldandy said, "We still don't know how. But that virus began to corrupt the system, locking up terminals and programs, while starting others. The earthquakes on Terra 2 and Earth are only the tip of the icing on the cake. There have been several stars that have gone nova. A planet that developed life forms it was never intended to have. If things continue as they have, it will eventually destroy the Universe." Belldandy turned back to the window. "We knew we had to regain control of Yggdrasil and eliminate the virus. But we had no way of unlocking the terminals. Skuld though, she knew of the Core Access, having been down their several times to debug the core. She came up with the mortal theory after reading up in the library on the core. Being a half goddess and half mortal, as well as being a Norn, your Mother volunteered to access the core." Belldandy looked back at Sentaro. "At first she was fine, but then……..it overwhelmed her. Her mortal side prevented her from being totally lost to us, but for now, she is trapped by the core."

"So what can I do?" Sentaro asked.

"You are fully mortal." Belldandy said, "As a descendant of myself, you could technically classify as a Norn, though you are not a god, nor are you female. You're knowledge of computers will help you inside the core."

"I suppose I was also chosen because I know of the Heavens." Sentaro said, "You didn't want to pull some regular guy who hadn't a clue off the street."

"Not that I would but it in such a way, but you are correct." Belldandy said. She closed her eyes and bowed her head. "It was never my intention to do this to you. I wished we could see each other in different circumstances………"

Sentaro placed a hand on his Grandmother's shoulder. She opened her eyes and looked up at him.

"No matter what happened between me and mom," he said, "I never blamed you for it. I never forgot you either." He then hugged her. "I'll do it."

Tears rolled down Belldandy's eyes as she returned the hug to her grandson.

"I'll make the preparations." She said softly.

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Sentaro stood leaning against the railing that overlooked the entry hall of the Yggdrasil building. Far below, Gods and Goddesses scurried about, still trying to regain control of the run away system. He heard footsteps behind him, followed by Megami saying thank you. He turned around and found Megami standing across from him. Just behind her off to the side stood Dawn in her Valkyrie outfit.

"So." Megami said, "Do I get an explanation now?"

Sentaro turned and looked back over the railing. "I would have thought you'd been paying attention to what was said."

"I want to hear your version." Megami replied, moving to the railing.

Sentaro looked off towards the ceiling far above.

"After Dad was killed, everything was just so……..surreal. Mom wondered around the house, not really doing much. Celes was there for Kristine and me. Even Mana was there." Sentaro sighed. "Mom made several trips up to Heaven to visit Dad. Kristine went too. But I……was not allowed to go because I was mortal." Sentaro turned and looked at Megami. "You have any idea what it's like to be the only mortal in a family of gods? It sucks. Kristine could come and go as she pleased. She was a First Class Goddess and could protect herself. I had a curfew and had to be home by a specific time. You know how many times I'd be out with friends, and then suddenly find myself teleported home? I lost count." Sentaro sighed and looked back out towards the ceiling. "And then Kristine was always being complimented on her successes, where I was always hounded on for my mistakes. I got tired of it. So, Mom and I had it out, our last big fight." Sentaro turned and looked at Megami. "They make a big deal on wishes here, especially ones from the heart. They are like contracts, unbreakable. So I told my mother I wished to never see her again. The rest, well…….. you heard. My Uncle and Sister pretty much hate me. Great Aunt Skuld and Urd don't hate me so much as they are annoyed with me."

"So what do they want you to do?"

"Believe it or not, fix the world computer."

Megami's eyes widened. "Can you do that?"

"I don't know." Sentaro said, "But I told my Grandmother I'd do it. I don't want to disappoint her."

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Sentaro reentered the Yggdrasil core a few hours later, escorted by his Grandmother. Already there waiting was Urd and Skuld, as well as Keima and Kristine. What surprised Sentaro was the fact that Arael, the Angel, was also present.

Sentaro walked up and looked down at his mother, still sitting in the chair.

"So how are we doing this?" Sentaro asked.

"We can't remove your mother." Skuld said, "And there is only one connection to the core."

"Then how….?"

Skuld pointed at Arael. "She's going to link your mind to your mothers, then you'll access the core from there."

Sentaro's jaw dropped. Even Belldandy, Keima, and Kristine were surprised.

"And just how will he accomplish that!" Keima asked.

"I will help him as best I can." Arael said, "But success lies in his hands alone."

"Great." Kristine muttered, "We're doomed."

Belldandy glared at Kristine. She then turned and looked at Sentaro.

"Are you still willing?" she asked.

Sentaro looked down at his mother.

"Yes." He answered.

Skuld waved her hand and a chair appeared beside the one Sayoko occupied.

"Sit." Skuld said.

Sentaro complied. Arael moved and stood between the two chairs.

"You must relax fully." Arael said, "You will feel strange at first, then you will find yourself in your mother's mind."

"What will that be like?" Sentaro asked.

Arael hesitated slightly.

"It is hard to describe." She replied, "Everyone's mind is slightly different. You might find yourself appearing within a memory of your mother. As I said, I will help you as much as I can, but you will be on your own. Are you ready?"

Sentaro closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"I'm ready."

Arael placed her hands on Sayoko's forehead, then on Sentaro's. She closed her eyes and concentrated. Her hands then began to glow.

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To Sentaro, it felt like the world was spinning. His stomach lurched from side to side. Then it stopped.

Sentaro opened his eyes.

He was for all purposes in the middle of nowhere. The sky above was a strange orange color. Looking down, he found himself standing upon and strange liquid.

"What is this place?" he called out. "Arael?"

"Hold on." He reply came from everywhere.

Suddenly his world was twisting again in an explosion of colors. Sentaro closed his eyes and waited for it to stop. Which is finally did with a thump.

Sentaro lay on the ground a moment, trying to control his still churning stomach. He then opened his eyes and sat up.

He was sitting on a hilltop next to an old iron fence. Before him lay a vast city on a lake. For some reason, the city seemed familiar to him.

"Arael?" he called out.

Before him the ghostly image of the Angel appeared.

"Yes?" she asked.

"Where am I?" he asked.

"In your mother's mind." The ghost image replied, "This is but a place of memory where she currently exists."

"She's reliving the past?" he asked.

Arael nodded. "Yes."

Sentaro stood up and looked around.

"You wouldn't happen to know where would you?" he asked.

Arael's eyes narrowed slightly. "I do recognize this place, though I never visited it."

Sentaro waited a moment, but Arael did not continue.

"Arael." Sentaro asked, "WHERE am I?"

"Tokyo-3 on Earth. The year 2015."

Sentaro blinked, thinking on that information.

"The Angel Wars." He finally said. He turned and looked at Arael. "When you and your brethren attacked Earth."

Arael nodded sadly. "Yes."

"Do you know at what point I'm here?" he asked, "What Angel's have attacked?"

Arael shook her head. "I do not have that knowledge."

Sentaro looked down at the city.

"Well there's only one way to find out."

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Sentaro felt strange, walking down a street full of people who had lived almost five hundred years before.

"Arael." He said softly so that none of the people could hear him. "Does Mom realize I'm here?"

"No." came the reply. Arael's ghost shape reappeared before him. "These are but shadows of your mother's mind."

"Can they see you?"

"No. I appear only before you."

"That's good. It'd be hard enough to explain my clothes, much less why a ghost is floating by me."

"Your clothes are of this time."

"Huh?" Sentaro looked down and found himself dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. "Strange."

Sentaro walked down to a newspaper vending machine and looked at the front page. On it, massive figures squared off against another. The caption underneath stated it was an image of the eleventh such attack the city had faced.

"The eleventh attack?" Sentaro muttered, "That's the Eleventh Angel?"

"No." came Arael's reply, "The image you see is my brother Bardiel, the thirteenth."

"Thirteenth?"

"Yes." Arael replied, "Sachiel, the Third was the first to attack the lil….mortals."

Sentaro looked around.

"If my memory serves, my Mom lived with Mrs. Ryoji." Sentaro looked around. "Where's a phone booth when you need one?"

"A what?"

"Phone booth." Sentaro replied, "There will be a phone book that should tell me where to find Mrs. Ryoji's apartment."

"Oh."

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The idea of using a phonebook to find the apartment failed upon finding said book. It listed the major businesses and some residences, but he could find no number or address for Mrs. Ryoji.

"Well this is just great." Sentaro muttered, "How the hell am I going to find my Mother if I can't even find her address?"

"Get the hell out of my way stooge!"

"Listen here you German Bitch! I have as much right to walk here as you do!"

"Like hell you do you stupid monkey!"

"What! I'll show you you demon!"

"DEMON! I'LL SHOW YOU……..DAMMIT SAYOKO! LEMME GO!"

Sentaro smiled. Coming up the street, almost exactly the way his Father had described it at bedtime, was his Aunt Asuka, Uncle's Shinji and Touji, as well as his mother. All appeared to be around age fourteen, and on their way home from either school or from NERV.

"Touji." Shinji said, "Isn't this your street?"

Touji looked up. "Yeah. I'll see you tomorrow Shinji. Later Sayoko. Bye Demon!"

Asuka let out a low growl and tried to lunge at Touji. Sayoko still held her back.

Sentaro watched Touji pass him, then turned back to watch the other three teens continue up the street.

"Well." Sentaro said, "I guess I have to try to talk to her sometime."

He quickly raced up behind the children.

"Hey Mo…..uhhh…." he paused, realizing he couldn't call her 'Mom'.

The three children turned and looked at him funny.

"Who the hell are you?" Asuka asked.

Shinji looked at him funny. "Are you related to Kensuke Aida? You kinda look like him."

"AHHH YOU'RE RIGHT!' Asuka screamed, ""HE'S A PERVERT!"

"You'd better watch yourself." Sayoko said, "We've got bodyguards. You try to hurt us….."

"I need your help." Sentaro said, finding his voice again.

"Help?" Shinji asked, "Help with what?"

"Yggdrasil has crashed."

Sayoko blinked. "What? How do you….."

"You are the Goddess Sayoko." Sentaro said, "This is your memory. These events have already occurred."

The three children blinked at Sentaro.

"What?" Shinji asked.

"Are you some kind of wacko?" Asuka asked.

Sentaro ignored the other children and looked directly at his mother.

"Your mother is Belldandy. You have two Aunts named Skuld and Urd. You have to believe me."

Sayoko stared at Sentaro, her eyes wide with fright.

"How can you know these things." She whispered.

"Because I am your son." Sentaro replied.

Sayoko started to laugh nervously. "I haven't got a son. I don't even have a boyfriend."

"You must believe me." Sentaro said, "I am your son. This is just a memory in your mind. It is not real!"

Suddenly strong arms grabbed Sentaro. He looked around and found himself surrounded by men in dark suits wearing sunglasses.

"Are you children alright?" the man asked.

Shinji nodded. "We're fine."

"Right." The man turned to Sentaro. "Take him in for questioning."

"No wait!" Sentaro cried out. "This is your mind! These people aren't real!"

Sentaro felt something slam into the back of his neck, then all went black.

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Sentaro opened his eyes and found himself staring up at a ceiling. Sitting up, he discovered he was in a cell, sitting on a cot. The back of his head also hurt.

"Ughhh." He moaned, "For something that doesn't exist, it sure hurts like hell."

He looked around a moment. The walls were featureless, the door had a small window in it, closed of course. Other then the cot, the only other fixture was a toilet.

"Arael?" he called out softly.

Almost immediately the Angel appeared in her ghost form.

"I was wondering when you'd call." Arael said, "You have been out for sometime."

"Right. What happened?"

Arael sighed. "It seems to be worse then I previously thought. Your mother believes that this is truly happening 'now', that it is not a memory. As a result, her mind set up a defense, those agents."

"Great." Sentaro muttered, "Not only do I have to figure out how to get out of here, now I have to figure out how to get around Mom's defenses."

"It shouldn't be too hard."

Sentaro turned and stared at the Angel.

"What do you mean 'it shouldn't be too hard'?"

"You are her son. You are one of the few who know her best."

"I don't know anything about her life here!" Sentaro shouted, "What little I do know came from my father! Mom NEVER talked about her time here in Tokyo-3."

Arael's eyes narrowed slightly.

"I see." She said, "But her mind is still of the person you know. It has just, forgotten itself in this memory. Should you get her to remember future events……"

"It might snap her out of this." Sentaro finished, "Then we can fix Yggdrasil and get out of here." He looked around the room again. "But how do I get out of here?"

Arael closed her eyes.

"An opportunity is about to present itself."

"Huh?"

Alarms began to scream out.

"What's going on?" Sentaro asked.

"Zeruel comes." Arael said softly.

The entire cell rumbled slightly. The sounds of distant explosions reached his ears.

"Dammit." Sentaro said, "It's the middle of an attack and I'm stuck in a cell." He then glanced over at Arael. "Can you do anything?"

"No."

"Damn." Sentaro muttered.

Then something crashed into his cell. Sentaro leaped back against the wall and closed his eyes as dust filled the cell. When he opened them, he found himself staring at an enormous eye.

"GAH!" Sentaro backed up against the wall.

He and the eye stared at each other for a moment. Then he noticed that the cell had been breached enough her could exit.

"Ask and ye shall receive." Sentaro muttered as he squeezed past the eye. "Pardon me."

Outside, Sentaro found that the eye was still connected to a giant head.

"Creepy." Sentaro muttered, "Hey Arael what is….."

Sentaro blinked as something bright went off. It was soon followed by a wave and roar that knocked him off his feet. He rolled onto his back, groaning in pain. Before him a mushroom cloud shot up into the sky before suddenly spreading outward. Sentaro watched the cloud for a moment, then saw why it had spread out so suddenly. A large dome covered the area, at least it looked like a dome. Upside down buildings stuck out like stalactites from the ceiling. Several large holes had also been blasted into the dome, showing daylight beyond.

"Arael?" he asked, "Where am I?"

"I do not know." Came the angel's reply. "I never made it to the city."

Sentaro muttered for a moment, then a thought crossed his mind.

"Arael, you said you knew of Tokyo-3, though you had never visited it. HOW do you know of it?"

Sentaro waited, but no reply came.

"Arael." Sentaro called out, "Tell me how you know of Tokyo-3 if you've never been here?"

The ghost form of Arael appeared before him, sitting on the ground, her head bowed.

"I attacked this city after my brother Zeruel," she said softly, "My attack penetrated the minds of two of the pilots, and exposed their thoughts to me." Arael looked up, pain in her eyes. "Your mother and Asuka were the pilots."

Sentaro was quiet, another piece of his mother's past clicking into place.

"Using their memories, do you recognize this place and time?"

Arael was silent, then nodded.

"This is the Geofront. At this time, Asuka is in the Central Dogma." Arael replied, "Your mother is hurrying to her Evangelion to……" before Arael could finish, two massive shapes blasted out of the ground nearby, before slamming back into the earth. Sentaro was knocked off his feet again by the tremors. He watched in awe as a massive purple figure pounded on a strange white and black creature. Arael watched as well, her face one of sadness.

The purple figure was relentless in its attack. Just as it seemed ready to deliver the final blow, it slumped over. The creature took this opportunity to punish the purple figure. This went on for several moments, before the eyes of the purple figure lit up. Sentaro felt is stomach churn as the purple figure literally shredded the creature, before it began to eat. Beside him, the ghost of Arael was no longer watching.

The purple figure howled as it ate. With a roar, another figure appeared within the Geofront, a great silver figure.

"Your mother arrives." Arael said softly.

Sentaro's eyes widened. Now he knew what the purple, the black, and the silver figures were. They were Evangelions.

Sentaro turned to Arael.

"I won't be able to see mom for sometime I assume. Let's get out of here before someone sees us."

"You mean you."

Sentaro rolled his eyes. "Right, me."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It took Sentaro a little over an hour to get out of the Geofront. The angel had severely damaged the area, resulting in many breaches. Knowing it wouldn't be much longer for security teams to move in to guard over the breaches, Sentaro moved quickly.

Once on the surface, he headed off in a direction he hoped would lead him towards the Ryoji apartment. He soon came across a road that he had been on earlier in the day. He walked along it until he reached the spot where he had seen his mother and the other pilots before.

After waiting almost three hours, he spotted two figures walking up the road. Both looked exhausted, as well as upset. Sentaro quickly walked up to them.

"Listen…." He began.

"Back off." Asuka replied, venom in her voice, "Unless you want Section 2 to beat your ass again."

"Arael," Sentaro muttered under his breath, "Give me some help here."

Arael flashed into existence.

"What do you want me to do?" Arael asked.

"Something." Sentaro muttered, "Anything."

"What was that?" Sayoko asked, "What are you mumbling?"

"Look," Sentaro said, "I was telling you the truth earlier."

"Right." Asuka said, "This is all in her mind."

"It is." Sentaro replied, He listened carefully as Arael said a few things to him. "Shinji was absorbed by Unit-01 wasn't he?"

Asuka and Sayoko both stared at Sentaro.

"How did…." Asuka began.

"Rei is currently in the infirmary as the result of setting off an N2 mine next to Unit-00." Sentaro continued, "Asuka, your Unit-02 is still being fixed from the Thirteenth Angel's attack."

"That doesn't mean anything!" Asuka shouted, "You could have hacked the Magi and figured it out!"

Sentaro turned and looked directly at his mother.

"Auntie Skuld was just recalled to heaven." He stated.

Sayoko gasped.

"How did you know?" she asked softly.

"I told you." Sentaro said, "I'm your son."

"No…..no." Sayoko grabbed her head. The world around them seemed to haze slightly. Sentaro pressed on.

"You have a daughter named Kristine." He said, "Your best friend is Mana Kirishima, a Demon from Hell. You have another good friend named Celes Victoria, a vampire."

"NO!" Sayoko shouted. The city around them twisted. Several areas seemed to crack slightly. Even Asuka wavered slightly.

"Tokyo-3 was destroyed over five hundred years ago!" Sentaro shouted, "You accessed Yggdrasil's core earlier today! You were trying to stop a Demonic virus that has infected the system!"

"ARGHHHH!" Sayoko fell to her knees, holding her head tightly in her arms. The world around them crackled and began to collapse. Asuka vanished with a slight pop. Then with a loud roar, everything around them vanished, leaving Sayoko still on her knees with Sentaro standing over her on an endless ocean of some liquid.

"Arael?" Sentaro called out, "What happened?"

Arael appeared upon the ocean. "You have succeeded, partially."

"What?"

"Look." The Angel pointed towards his mother.

Sentaro looked down. No longer was there a young school girl before him. In her place was a much older goddess, her hair a dark brown. He knelt down and gently rolled her over. It was his mother as he had last seen her almost five years before.

"Why is she unconscious?" Sentaro asked.

"It been a strain on her," Arael replied, "Pulling memories from the depths of her mind and making her relive them has caused her much stress. She will be unconscious for sometime to come."

Sentaro nodded, "So how do we fix Yggdrasil?"

"She is still attached to the system." Arael replied, "You will be able to access it through her."

Sentaro looked down at his mother and gently moved her hands to rest upon her stomach.

"Alright." He said, "Let's finish this."


	5. Chapter 4

_moshimo ima subete ga umaku nante ikanai_

_makesou ni naru toki datte_

_hitomi wo tojireba kokoro kara_

_sekai ga miete kuru_

Even when it seems that nothing can go right

and you want to just give up,

if you close your eyes,

you can see the world from your heart.

In this world when life can be so tough

You must be strong

Just believe in yourself and don't you fear

So open up your mind and close your eyes

Take another look from the other side

In this world when life can be so tough

You must be strong

Just believe in yourself and don't you fear

So open up your mind and close your eyes

Take another look from the other side

_kodoku na yoru demo mayoi osoreru toki mo_

_ima wa hitori demo kono ashi de doko made mo_

_aruite ikeru hazu dakara_

Even on a lonely night, when you wander afraid,

you may be alone now, but

your feet can take you however far you want to go, so

Just hold on tight _hitomi tojita nara_

Look inside yourself _kagayaki ga aru kara_

Yes, _subete shinjite hoshii_

You can take another look from the other side

Just hold on tight, because if you close your eyes,

look inside yourself, there's a shining light there.

Yes, I want you to believe in everything.

You can take another look from the other side

Just hold on tight _kokoro kujikete mo_

Reach into your soul _ashita ga mienakute mo_

Yes, _ikiru tsuyosa ga areba_

You can take another look from the other side

_ai no subete ni deau made..._

Just hold on tight, even if your heart is breaking.

Reach into your soul, even if you can't see tomorrow.

Yes, if you have the strength to live,

You can take another look from the other side,

until you find all that is love...

_kono sekai de ikinuite-iku tame no tsuyosa wo_

_anata ni negatte-iru kara_

_kokoro no tobira wo hiraitara_

_nanika ga miete kuru_

I wish for you to have the strength

to make it through this world,

so open up your mind,

and you'll be able to see...

Just remember you are not alone

So don't you fear

Even though you're miles away

I'm by your side

So open up your mind and close your eyes

I'll be there for you no matter where you are

Just remember you are not alone

So don't you fear

Even though you're miles away

I'm by your side

So open up your mind and close your eyes

I'll be there for you no matter where you are

_hoshi no inochi nara nagai kedo itsu made mo_

_onaji kono hibi ga kurikaesu wake ja nai_

_ashita wa dare ni mo mienai_

The stars may live for a long time, but that doesn't mean

that the same days will repeat over and over forever.

Noone can see into tomorrow.

Just hold on tight _hitomi tojita nara_

Look inside yourself _kodou kanjiru kara_

Yes, "MIRAI" _shinjite hoshii_

You can take another look from the other side

Just hold on tight, because if you close your eyes,

look inside yourself, you'll feel a heartbeat.

Yes, I want you to believe in the future.

You can take another look from the other side.

Just hold on tight _kokoro kujikete mo_

Reach into your soul _ashita ga mienakute mo_

Yes, _chigau sekai ga atte_

You can take another look from the other side

_ai no subete ni deaeru yo..._

Just hold on tight, even if your heart is breaking.

Reach into your soul, even if you can't see tomorrow.

Yes, there's another world out there.

You can take another look from the other side,

and you'll be able to find all that is love...

Just hold on tight _hitomi tojita nara_

Look inside yourself _kodou kanjiru kara_

Yes, "MIRAI" _shinjite hoshii_

You can take another look from the other side

Just hold on tight, because if you close your eyes,

look inside yourself, you'll feel a heartbeat.

Yes, I want you to believe in the "future."

You can take another look from the other side

Just hold on tight _kokoro kujikete mo_

Reach into your soul _ashita ga mienakute mo_

Yes, _chigau sekai ga atte_

You can take another look from the other side

_ai no subete ni deau made..._

Just hold on tight, even if your heart is breaking.

Reach into your soul, even if you can't see tomorrow.

Yes, there's another world out there.

You can take another look from the other side,

until you find all that is love...

Open up your Mind – Mirai

「幻想魔伝 最遊記」より - mirai

Chapter 4

Sentaro looked around, trying to figure out where he was.

He was, as best as he could determine, nowhere.

All around him was white. He couldn't even tell if he was actually walking on anything. Finally, he gave up figuring things out on his own.

"Arael!" he shouted, his voice echoing.

"What?" came the reply.

Sentaro looked around. "Where are you?"

"I'm here. What do you require?"

"Why don't you show yourself like before?" Sentaro asked.

"Like a God, I cannot access the system." Arael's voice replied, "You may as you are able to go through your mother."

"What….I'm in Yggdrasil?"

"Yes."

Sentaro whirled about and found himself face to face with a demoness. Her eyes glowed a bright red as she stared at him. Her brown hair was pulled into a tight ponytail.

"Welcome to Yggdrasil." The Demon said.

"Arael?" Sentaro called out, "There's a Demon here!"

The demon rolled her eyes.

"Negative." Arael replied.

"I'm looking right at one!" Sentaro shouted.

"What you are seeing is an extension of your mother's mind." Arael said.

"My mother was a Demon?"

"No." the Demoness said, "I changed her."

Sentaro looked back at the Demoness.

"Who are you?"

The Demoness smiled, "Once I went by the name Soultaker."

"So you're the one that caused this virus?"

The Soultaker sighed, "Did you not listen to the Messenger?"

"Well….yeah. She's been talking to me all through this."

"Apparently you haven't been listening enough."

"I agree with that assessment." Came Arael's voice.

"HEY!" Sentaro shouted, "Can you please stop playing gang up on the Mortal!" He turned and looked back at the Soultaker. "So exactly how ARE you here?"

"Years ago I turned your mother into my servant." The Soultaker said, "I made her an extension of me. Though she was freed from my control, my presence remained. That was useful for a time. One who is dead like me discovers a few things here and there and can pass it on to the living. Over the years, I have slipped deeper into her subconscious." The Soultaker looked around. "Though this incident seems to have brought me forward again."

Sentaro sighed and closed his eyes.

"Arael, did you know she was here?"

"No." came the Angel's reply.

"The Angel can't read a Goddess' mind," The Soultaker said, "Not without the Goddess' knowledge."

"Right." Sentaro looked around. "So if we're in Yggdrasil, shouldn't we see the virus or something?"

The Soultaker shook her head.

"You're not seeing it because you're not looking for it." The Demon said.

"What?"

The Demoness rolled her eyes.

"Didn't they explain anything to you before you entered Yggdrasil?"

Sentaro thought back. "Grandma said I would be able to access Yggdrasil because the Mortal mind can break down the information better then a Deity could."

The Soultaker waved her hand at the whiteness around them.

"That's pretty well broken down don't you think?"

Sentaro frowned, "So how am I supposed to find the virus?"

The Demoness crossed her arms and glared at him. Sentaro frowned. The way that the demon was holding herself and glaring reminded him of someone……. Sentaro shook his head. Back to the problem at hand. Sentaro looked around. He couldn't see the virus because his mind was breaking down the information Yggdrasil was sending him. That could mean either Yggdrasil didn't know it was infected, or, as the Demoness said, he wasn't looking for the virus.

Sentaro closed his eyes and concentrated, repeating 'look for the virus look for the virus' over and over in his mind. When he opened his eyes, the whiteness wasn't as white any more. Several areas had distinctly grey spots, others shaded black.

"Whoa." He muttered.

"Someone's been watching too many Matrix movies….."

Sentaro turned and looked back at the Demoness.

"What?"

The Soultaker sighed, "Never mind."

Sentaro looked back at the spots. Now he could at least see the virus. But how was he going to stop it? If he was back at school, he'd have the anti-virus software target it and delete or remove the virus. But how was he going to do that here?

Yggdrasil was sending information through his mother, then to him. His brain took that info and broke it down to so that he originally saw only white. Now he was seeing the virus, mostly because he concentrated and told himself to look for the virus.

'Maybe if I concentrated again,' Sentaro thought, 'I could get my brain to reinterpret the information in another way, then I'd be able to eliminate it.'

Sentaro closed his eyes and concentrated. As he did so, he tried to think of a way to eliminate the virus. He thought he had it, when his world lurched.

Sentaro opened his eyes. He caught site of a strange landscape of craters, rock formations, and gnarled trees, right before he slammed into the ground. Beside him, the Soultaker let out a low whistle.

"I didn't think you had it in you mortal." The Demoness said, "This place is actually rather cool."

Sentaro sat up on his knees and looked around.

"What is this place?" he asked.

"Don't know." The Soultaker said, "You're the one that made it."

Sentaro stood up and looked around.

"Arael?"

"Yes?"

"Can you see what I'm seeing?"

"To a point."

Sentaro sighed. "So I have to look for the virus on my own?"

"Correct."

"What am I?" the Soultaker asked, "Your token demon to be tossed aside when not needed?"

Sentaro looked at the Demoness.

"Somehow I don't trust you." He said.

"No one ever does. I wonder why that is?"

"Because you're a Demon."

The Soultaker smirked. "You don't trust Mana then."

"Mana has spent more time on Earth and Heaven then she ever has in Hell." Sentaro said, "She hates Hell. I know that much from my family."

"You know nothing of her." The Demoness said.

"I know a lot more about her then you." Sentaro said.

"That remains to be seen."

"Whatever." Sentaro turned and started off in a random direction. "Follow if you want."

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It seems as if Sentaro had walked for hours. The landscape remained the same no matter how far he had gone. Stepping over a fallen tree, Sentaro glanced back over his shoulder. The Soultaker was still there, just as she had been since he'd first started walking. She hadn't said anything since her last remarks about Mana.

'She knows nothing of Mana.' Sentaro thought to himself, 'She's just a dead demon trying to get revenge against the ones who defeated her.'

"Am not." He heard the Demoness mutter behind him.

Sentaro turned around and glared at the Demoness.

"Must you read my mind?" he asked.

"Not my fault." The Soultaker replied, "You are the one using your mother to access Yggdrasil."

Sentaro sighed. "At least try to not to read my mind?"

"So long as you stop thinking snide little comments about me, I will."

"Why don't you…" Sentaro began before the ground between him and the demoness exploded.

Sentaro was thrown backwards by the blast. He lay on the ground a moment, trying to figure out what had just happened. He then looked over and saw another Demon, glaring at him.

"Who are…" Sentaro started to asked. His voice trailed off when he saw that the demon was preparing another force bolt.

"SHIT!" he swore as he leaped to his feet. He turned back towards the demon just in time to see the force bolt heading towards him. Sentaro ducked. He felt the heat of the bolt as it tore through the air above him.

"ARAEL!" Sentaro shouted, "I NEED HELP!"

"She won't be able to help."

Sentaro dodged another force bolt and looked to where the voice had come from. It was a figure in white robes, who looked strangely like his Great Grandfather, Kami-sama.

"The Soultaker?" Sentaro asked, dodging yet another force bolt sent at him from the demon. He looked around to see if he could spot the Demoness.

The man shook his head.

"She cannot help you either." The man replied, "She is powerless here."

Sentaro leaped out of the path of yet another force bolt.

"Then who's going to defeat that Demon!"

"Well," the man said, "You are."

"WHAT?" Sentaro shouted as he stared at the man.

The Demon spotted his moment of distraction and sent forth another force bolt. Sentaro didn't see it until it was upon. He cringed and covered his head with his arms.

'I don't want to die!' he thought.

A loud roar filled his ears then, and a wave of heat washed over his body, though it wasn't as intense as he thought it would have been. Sentaro opened his eyes to find a blue shield had formed around him. The last remnants of the Demon's force bolt burned themselves out against the shield. Then the shield vanished.

"Wha….." Sentaro was in shock. He quickly looked around. The Demon was still there, only it seemed to be studying him. The man was still there as well. Sentaro looked at the man.

"Who…" He started to ask, when the demon charged at him, it's fists raised.

Sentaro ducked the first punch. After that, it was like something had taken over his movements. Each punch and kick the Demon threw at him, Sentaro dodged or blocked as if he had been training for all his life. The Demon threw one more punch at Sentaro's head. Sentaro quickly grabbed the Demon's fist and twisted. The Demon's arm let out a snap as it broke, twisting the Demon's face into one of pain. Sentaro then raised his other arm and threw a punch of his own at the Demon. As his punch landed, there was a bright flash of blue. The Demon soared through the air before landing in a heap against a tree. Then it vanished.

"What the hell is going on around here!" Sentaro shouted out. He looked at the man. "There's no way I could have done that!"

"Quite right." The man replied.

"Then how did I?" Sentaro asked, "And who are you!"

"Well to answer your last question first," the man said, "I am Yggdrasil."

Sentaro blinked. "You're the computer?"

"It's better then 'that thing that runs the universe', but yes." Yggdrasil pointed to where the Demon's body had been. "That was part of the Virus that has been affecting me. Thanks to you, several systems I had lost control off are now back online."

"Does this mean the Gods can access you with the terminals?" Sentaro asked.

"No." Yggdrasil replied, "Those areas are still under control of the Virus."

Sentaro turned and stared at the spot the Demon had been.

"I should be dead." He muttered, "That energy bolt should have ripped me apart."

"A mother will always protect her child."

Sentaro looked back at Yggdrasil.

"What?"

"A mother will always protect her child." Yggdrasil repeated.

"But she's unconscious." Sentaro said, "She can't have know……."

"Subconsciously, she does know." Yggdrasil replied. He then pointed off to the side. "Part of her subconscious is here."

Sentaro turned and to his surprise, found himself looking at the Soultaker.

"Where did you go?" he asked.

Before the Soultaker could replied, Yggdrasil spoke up.

"The Demoness is but an echo of what once was." The computer said, "As such, she is at the whim of your mother's mind."

"I am not a 'whim'." The Soultaker muttered.

"But.." Sentaro began.

"As to your defeat of the Demon," Yggdrasil continued, "You are accessing me through your mother. As such, you have access to your mother's powers, with a little help from her."

"The power you so much wanted when you were younger is now yours." The Soultaker said, "But only as long as you are here."

Sentaro sighed. "So I have to run around and kill off all these viruses that look like demons?"

"No." Yggdrasil replied, "You need only to find the main Virus and destroy that. Once gone, control will be restored through the terminals and the others may finish off the last of the viruses."

"Alright." Sentaro said, "Where is the main Virus?"

Yggdrasil pointed. "It's over that way in the area that contains……."

"Does he really need to know what's there?" The Soultaker asked.

"Perhaps." The computer replied, "And perhaps not. But he….."

"Come on kid." The Soultaker said, pushing Sentaro along. "Times wasting."

Yggdrasil watched the two walk off, then sighed.

"He deserves to know what he is about to encounter." Yggdrasil finished sadly.

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The Soultaker led Sentaro through a dense portion of trees. On the other side lay a sight the young man had never seen nor could he have possibly dreamed of in his lifetime.

For what seemed like miles around, strange clear tubes covered the landscape. At their base was mechanical controls as well as a display that came out and was positioned at eye level. The tanks glowed an unearthly green. Inside, there seemed to be something floating, but from this distance Sentaro could not tell what.

"What is this place?" Sentaro asked.

"An Archive." The Soultaker replied.

"An Archive?"

"Yes." The Soultaker replied, moving closer to the nearest tube. Sentaro followed. As he got closer, the form inside the tube began to take on more familiar lines and become more distinct. He gasped out loud when he realized what the shape was.

"That's a Goddess!" he shouted. He stared in shock at the girl that floated within the tube. Her robes floated around her as if on air. Her eyes remained closed, yet Sentaro could plainly see the markings on her cheeks as well as a half moon shape on her forehead.

The Soultaker nodded.

"This is the archive of the Gods." The Soultaker said, "Any God or Goddess that ever lived is here."

Sentaro stared at another tube and the God that floated within.

"Are they alive?"

The Soultaker shrugged. "I cannot read Yggdrasil code. Some may be alive, others may be dead. Take note though. What you see is not the God themselves, but a file on them, nothing more." She began to walk again.

"How do you know so much?" Sentaro asked.

The Demoness stumbled slightly. She then turned and stared at the mortal before her.

"I may not have the power to effect things here." She said, "But I do keep my eyes open. While I see things at your prospective, remember I can see things differently." She turned and walked on. Sentaro remained in place for a moment, then followed, thinking about what the demoness had said.

'How can she see things differently?' he wondered, 'Wait, maybe it's like what Grandma said. The Soultaker is like the Gods, she sees the whole picture.' He then frowned. 'Then how come she's not overloaded like Mom was?'

All of Sentaro's thoughts ceased when he happened to glance at one of the tubes. Floating inside was his Grandmother! He paused for a moment and stared at her. His eyes soon traveled to the small display panel. It was in Yggdrasil code, which being the primary written language of the Gods he should have expected it. What he didn't expect was to be able to read it. The Soultaker had stated she couldn't read Yggdrasil code, so it seemed likely that he couldn't either.

Yet he was able to read all of his Grandmother's vital statistics, from her date of birth to her current goddess level.

Turning, Sentaro headed to the next tube and found Great Aunt Skuld floating within. Another tube held Great Aunt Urd. Sentaro looked at another tube, then another. It was almost a minute before he realized what exactly he was looking for. By that time, the Soultaker had had enough.

"Will you stop gawking at them and find the damn virus!" she shouted.

"But I'm……" Sentaro began.

"Look." The Demoness walked up to Sentaro, "Every moment you screw around here means that the Universe has more time to go nuts. Do you really want the entire Universe to end?"

"No." Sentaro replied.

"Then keep looking!"

Sentaro mumbled something unflattering about the Soultaker and her heritage, but moved on, looking for anything out of the ordinary. Surprisingly enough, he found it. One of the tubes was almost completely black. Every few seconds, a small speck of darkness flew out of the top of the tube and hurtled off to who knew where. Sentaro walked up to the tube and read the display panel.

"Loki?" Sentaro muttered, "Wasn't he the Prankster God or…." Sentaro found himself whirled about and slammed back against the tube by a very angry Demoness.

"DON'T SAY HIS NAME!" The Soultaker snarled.

"Why not?" Sentaro asked.

"He corrupted the Demons!" she replied, "Because of him, the Demons of Hell have become WEAK!. You know that Heaven actually outnumbers Hell in deities? If HE hadn't pushed those Demons into taking Heaven…….. I could have….." The Soultaker stopped speaking and looked away. She then dropped Sentaro, who landed at the foot of the tube with a thump. "Never mind. You found the source of the virus. Destroy it and let us be done with it."

Sentaro looked up at the Demoness, curious as to her change of attitude. He then stood and looked at the tube.

"How?" he finally asked.

The Demoness looked back at Sentaro.

"How do I remove the Virus?" Sentaro repeated.

"How did you defeat the Demon?"

"You said my Mother did that."

"I didn't say it. That computer did." The Demoness said, "But you are the one here, she isn't. Remember the computer told you that you have access to your mother's powers."

"Right." Sentaro turned and looked at the tube. "I have her powers. So what? I point my hands at it and say 'go away'?" Sentaro waved his hand at the tube.

With a loud boom, the ground in front of the tube exploded, tossing mortal and demoness onto their backs. When the smoke cleared, a large flower had sprouted beside the tube. The Demoness rolled her eyes.

"Nice. Real nice. You picked a hellova a spot to start a garden."

"It's not my fault!" Sentaro shouted, waving his hands. "I don't……"

Another explosion and yet another flower appeared a little ways from them.

"Would you mind not waving your hands like a mad man?" The Soultaker asked, "I'd prefer to not get killed by a rogue daisy."

"Fine." Sentaro replied. "Hey wait a second. You're already dead!"

"Details." The Soultaker said, "Now do something!"

Sentaro looked back at the black tube.

'How the hell am I supposed to do this?' he thought, 'Maybe it's like how I changed what this place looks like. If I think about blowing up the tube, maybe it will happen.'

Sentaro concentrated on the image of the tube exploding. He then raised his hands at it. The tube shattered in a massive fireball. The blackness from inside the tube expanded outward, engulfing Sentaro and the Soultaker in darkness. When it dissipated, instead of shattered glass, a man stood before them. More specifically a God.

"Loki." The Soultaker whispered.

"So." Loki said, "The spawn of that half-breed is here in Yggdrasil."

"You're dead." The Soultaker said, "Gungir doesn't leave anything behind."

"And yet here I am." Loki said with a smile, "I must say, I'm a better programmer then I thought I was. Five hundred years later, and my viruses still go undetected and bring the Heavens to their knees." Loki looked around. "I must say I like what has become of this place. However……" Loki looked at the Demoness. "You don't belong here."

Loki snapped his fingers and before the Soultaker could utter a word, she vanished.

"Wha…?" Sentaro began.

"What?" Loki said, turning to look at the mortal. "You're shocked that I could remove her? She has no power here, just as you have none."

Sentaro's eyes widened, "But I defeated that Demon virus thing!"

"Did you?" Loki asked, "This is your mind's version of Yggdrasil. Maybe it was all in your mind."

"What?"

"You heard me." Loki continued, moving towards Sentaro. "Your mind created this representation of Yggdrasil, so you'd be able to comprehend it. It's quite obvious then that the 'Demon' you defeated was but a figment of your imagination, created by your mind being over stressed."

"No…." Sentaro said, "The Demoness and Yggdrasil both said it was part of the virus."

"Once again, your mind telling you what you want to hear." Loki then smiled, "Of course then am I really here? I could be another figment of your imagination. Or perhaps I am a defense mechanism of your mind, trying to get you unattached form the computer before your mind fries."

Sentaro closed his eyes and fell to his knees. 'Help me Mom, Please……"

"It can happen you know, mortals cannot handle what they see here, thus go insane." Loki knelt down beside Sentaro. "Just give it up before you hurt yourself. Go home."

'Mother, Help me." Sentaro thought. Suddenly he felt warm flow through his body, like someone had wrapped him in a full body hug. He knew then he had an answer for Loki.

"Loki." he said.

"Yes?" the god replied.

"You're a basterd." Sentaro raised his fist and sent a force bolt right at the God.

The bolt slammed into Loki, sending the God hurtling across to slam into the side of another tube. Loki sat dazed at the base of the tube. Sentaro stood up and walked towards Loki, his eyes glowing a soft white.

"It….can't be…." Loki muttered.

Sentaro grabbed Loki by the neck and lifted him up into the air.

"Believe it." Sentaro replied before tossing Loki high up into the air. He then formed a powerful force bolt and sent it hurtling after Loki. Loki let out a shriek of terror that was cut off as the bolt slammed into him and exploded. When the cloud vanished, there was no sign of Loki.

All around Sentaro the world began to flicker. Suddenly, the tubes vanished, as did the ground he had been standing on. He was now back in the white empty space.

"Hello?" He called out.

"Over here."

Sentaro turned to see The Soultaker, Yggdrasil, and even the ghostly shape of Arael standing before him.

"Congratulations." Yggdrasil said, "You have eliminated the main Virus. Now my systems can clean out the last bits of it."

"That was it?" Sentaro asked, "It was just so…..easy."

The Soultaker rolled her eyes. "Easy he says."

Yggdrasil smiled. "If it was easy, it wouldn't have taken you as long as it did."

"Right." Sentaro said, "So what happens now? Will I still have Mom's powers when I leave?"

Yggdrasil shook his head. "No. You were never meant to have the powers of a God."

"What was I meant to have?" Sentaro asked.

"I cannot tell you." Yggdrasil replied, "You must learn that on your own."

"Now you sound like my mother." Sentaro mumbled.

"She is a very wise Goddess." Yggdrasil replied.

Sentaro shrugged and then looked at Arael.

"Pull me out of here Arael."

Arael nodded. Within moments Sentaro and Arael vanished, leaving only Yggdrasil and the Soultaker.

"Nice kid." The Soultaker said.

"Indeed." Yggdrasil glanced over at the Demon. "You will see him again."

The Soultaker looked at Yggdrasil curiously.

"I'm dead." She said, "There's no way I'll see him again."

"Oh?" Yggdrasil replied.

The Soultaker narrowed her eyes.

"What are you not telling me?"

"As I told young Sentaro," Yggdrasil said, "You will find out on your own."

"Now what is that….." The Soultaker started to say before she suddenly vanished.

Yggdrasil sighed, then looked off towards the distance.

"It means," Yggdrasil said, "death is not the end, but the start of a new journey."

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Much later.

Sentaro looked through the window as the nurse (if you could call her that) moved about the bed of his mother in the infirmary.

Sentaro had no idea why he was here.

After defeating the virus, Sentaro had 'woken' back up in the core of Yggdrasil. Almost immediately Arael had collapsed from exhaustion. His Grandmother had quickly taken him up to the infirmary for a quick examination. After all, no mortal had ever accessed Yggdrasil in such a way before. The Healer himself had said there was nothing wrong with him, but that he would probably be watched over just in case something did happen to him.

Sentaro was very unhappy with that idea.

Afterward he'd once again gone to the entry hall and looked down at the main floor so far below. Megami had found him there. She once again had talked to him. As a result, he now found himself outside the Infirmary.

He hadn't seen any of his family here, though he knew they had to be nearby. Perhaps it was some of his Grandmother's doing again.

Suddenly the door to the room opened allowing the nurse to exit.

"You can go in now." She said, "She is awake."

Sentaro blinked. Before he even realized it, he had walked into the room. He glanced over at the bed. His mother was laying on her side, facing towards the windows, her white hair splayed out on the pillow. She seemed to be breathing steady, like she was asleep.

Sentaro walked up to the bed. As he reached it's side, his mother said.

"Look really, I'm fine. Please leave me alone."

"Is that what you really want?" Sentaro asked.

Sayoko whirled about on the bed and sat up. Her eyes went wide as she took in the sight of her son. Sentaro shifted slightly under her gaze, but he kept eye contact with her. The two said nothing for several minutes. Finally Sentaro spoke.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Alright." Sayoko replied, her voice practically a whisper.

"Look," Sentaro looked down at the ground, "I didn't mean to say what I did back then."

"Don't lie." Sayoko replied softly, "You meant every word."

Sentaro sighed. "You know you're making this more difficult then it should be."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Sentaro said, "It's just your nature." He let out another sigh. "Yes, I meant those words I said back then. I was angry, and everything that I thought about you and everything came out."

Sayoko finally broke eye contact with her son. "You were justified in your anger. I……….was too overprotective of you. Your Grandmother and even your father have told me so."

"You were doing what you thought was right." Sentaro replied, "I couldn't see that then. I just wanted you to go." Sentaro moved over and knelt down beside his mother's bed and looked up into her face. "I don't want you to go anymore. I want you back in my life."

Tears formed in Sayoko's eyes.

"Is that your wish?" Sayoko asked softly.

Sentaro wrapped his arms around his mother. She hugged him back in turn.

From the door, Belldandy watched the scene with a smile. She then turned and walked away.

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Several weeks later

Neo-Tokyo

Museum of History

Sentaro and Megami looked up.

And then some.

"I always knew the Evas were tall." Megami said, "But I didn't realize they were this huge!" She then glanced at Sentaro. "And your mother piloted them?"

"Yeah." Sentaro replied, still looking up at the behemoths that dominated the room.

"She pilot one of these?"

Sentaro shook his head. "I don't know……. She never….."

"Asuka piloted the red one, Unit-02." A voice came from behind them. "Touji piloted the black one, Unit-03. My Eva still exists in heaven. Unit-00, Rei blew up during the Angel Wars, and Unit-01 was destroyed many years ago in Heaven."

Sentaro sighed, "How long have you been here?"

Sayoko smiled, "Since your girlfriend found out they had Evas here from that display in the lobby."

"My WHAT?" Sentaro shouted while Megami blushed.

"So how long has this been going on?" Sayoko asked, "Should I be expecting wedding bells soon?"

"Mom!"

"Just so long as it isn't grandkids." Sayoko said, crossing her arms. "I'm still to young to be a grandmother."

"You're older then when Grandma became a grandma." Sentaro replied.

Sayoko stared at her son in shock.

"I'm not THAT old!" she cried out.

"No, you're not." Sentaro said with a smile. "Not with a lifespan of infinite."

"Thank-you. I think……"

Sentaro looked back up at Unit-02. "So what brings you here?"

"Just checking up on my son." Sayoko replied, "Can't I do that?"

"I thought the Doctors told you to rest."

"They did." Sayoko replied, "Your Grandmother even went so far as to order me to take a vacation."

"So why are you here?" Sentaro asked.

"Your father ordered me out of Heaven." Sayoko replied, "So, I'll be staying at your Uncle's for awhile."

Sentaro glanced back at his mother. "So that means I'll be seeing a lot of you?"

"Only if you want to."

"Of course he does." Megami said with a smile, "And you can tell me all sorts of embarrassing stories about him."

Sentaro paled. "You wouldn't…."

Sayoko looked up towards the ceiling and tapped her chin.

"I might."

"Mother…..please……"

Sayoko smiled and looked at Megami.

"As I'm sure you've found out, Sentaro is rather easy to tease."

Megami smiled, "Oh yes."

Sentaro sat down heavily on a nearby bench and put his head in his hands.

"Why me?"

From across the exhibit hall, a woman looked over from the map she had been reading.

"Poor brother." Kristine said with a sigh, "Just like Mom to want to catch up on all the teasing she's missed.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Is that her?"

"Yes." The figure stared downward from the balcony with glowing red eyes. "She is the one that caused my downfall so long ago."

"Remember our deal." The first said, "I get you the half-breed goddess, you get me the half-breed demon."

The second figure smiled.

"All in good time." The second said, "First, the Queen must go. Then during the chaos, Hell will fall. Heaven will come to their aid……."

The first smiled, "Then we strike. And the Heavens and Hell shall be full of pure-bloods once more."

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Later that night.

Sentaro stared up at the ceiling of his hotel room. Even though he had been walking around all day, Sentaro was not the least bit sleepy. In fact, he still had quite a few things mulling about in his head.

Foremost of which was the fact his mother was going to be on Terra 2 for awhile.

"Why does she have to vacation near me?" he muttered out loud.

"Maybe because she misses you?"

Sentaro froze at the sound of the voice, the voice that for the briefest of moments, he thought was his mother's. He slowly turned his head to see his sister's smiling face in the room's mirror.

"Why are you hanging around in my mirror at this time of night?" he asked.

Kristine shrugged. "Thought I'd drop in and see how my little brother was doing."

"Suppose I was in the middle of something?" Sentaro asked.

Kristine wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"Please! I don't want to picture you jerking….."

"NOT THAT!" Sentaro shouted as he sat up, "Geez! I meant what if other people were here!"

"You'd do that in front of other…..?"

"NO!" Sentaro shouted as he leaped to his feet.

"Good. Because doing that in front of others is just……."

"I WASN'T JERKING OFF DAMMIT! I WASN'T EVEN THINKING OF DOING THAT!"

"Maybe you should. You seem slightly stressed and doing that relieves……"

"KNOCK IT OFF!" Sentaro shouted. As he did, his eyes flashed white for a second. A loud snap filled the room as a crack shot across the surface of the mirror over Kristine's face.

The siblings stared at the crack, one from outside the mirror, one from within.

"What the hell?" the two said together.


	6. Interlude 1

Interlude 1

2970

A red head moved quietly around a living room. As she moved, she picked up small things that had been tossed aside by a child, books, toys. It was a teddy bear that caught her eye.

It was old, almost one thousand years. Yet in all that time, it had but three owners.

The red head smiled at the memory of the first owner of the bear. She could still see the smiling face of that owner vividly in her mind, as if she had but seen the owner yesterday, instead of 400 years before.

"Yui?"

Yui Ikari, Guardian of Heaven turned around to see her father, Shinji Ikari, also a Guardian of Heaven, standing at the entrance of hall.

"Father." Yui said with a nod.

"Why are you awake?" Shinji asked.

Yui shrugged. "I just couldn't sleep."

"Your Mother would be worried if she saw you like this." Shinji said softly.

"Which one?" Yui replied, a hint of sadness in her voice.

"Both." Shinji replied, "Besides, your sister looks up to you. What kind of an example are you setting for her?"

Yui sighed. He was right of course. Though, the thought of her younger sister didn't drive the thoughts of earlier from her head. Shinji seemed to sense this. He walked beside her and placed his hands on the teddy bear.

"I miss her too." He said softly, "Both of them." He then moved his hands to her shoulders. "Tomorrow is a big day. You'll need plenty of rest for it."

Yui nodded. "Yes Father."

Shinji watched as his daughter moved down the hall and into her room. Just as her door closed, another silently opened. A blue haired woman limped into the hall.

"Is everyone having problems sleeping tonight?" Shinji asked.

"Perhaps." Rei Ikari, Shinji's sister and also a Guardian of Heaven, replied, "Everyone has problems sleeping this time of year. The Norns most of all."

"I suppose they would." Shinji agreed. With a sigh he glanced at the clock on a shelf. His eyes wondered slightly to the pictures beside it.

"What do you think she'd say?" Shinji asked, his voice barely a whisper.

"Every year you ask the same question." Rei said, her eyes following Shinji's towards the shelf. "Every year I reply the same. She told you to be happy. She told you to find someone. She didn't want you to spend the rest of eternity alone." Rei then smiled slightly. "Sometimes I wonder, if she knew what was going to happen to her, and made sure you did have someone."

Shinji scowled. "Somehow I doubt that. She knew I hated to be manipulated."

"And yet look who you ended up with." Rei replied, "I suppose though if you asked, she'd deny it."

Shinji didn't reply. Rei turned and headed towards her room.

"Good night Shinji." She said, "Tomorrow is going to be long and hard for everyone."

Shinji said nothing and soon was alone in the living room. He stood for a moment, staring at pictures from many years before. Then he turned and headed back towards the bedroom. He entered the room quietly, trying not to awaken the individual he shared the room with. A quick glance showed that the individual was female, her hair, it's color unknown due to the darkness, flowed over the sheets. He moved to his side of the bed and had just started to pull back the covers when a female voice broke the silence.

"Is Yui alright?"

Shinji sat down on the bed. The woman immediately wrapped her arms around him.

"She misses her mother." Shinji said.

"I miss her too." The woman replied, "I wish she was still with us."

Shinji gave her a slight smirk.

"Both of you at the same time? Are you trying to kill me?"

The woman scowled and punched his shoulder.

"That's not what I meant Hentai."

"Well," Shinji replied, "At least I would've died happy."

"No more talk of dying."

"Yes my Queen." Shinji replied.

The woman let out a sigh.

"And you can knock that off too." She said, "I get called that every single damn day." She rolled back and rested her head on the pillow. "I never wanted to be Queen." She then glanced at Shinji. "Just as I never wanted to be your wife." Seeing the look on his face, she quickly added. "At least not in the way it happened."

Shinji patted her hand.

"I know what you meant." He said as he laid down beside her. He reached over and pulled her beside him. She rolled over and rested her head on his chest. She closed her eye, and listened to Shinji's heartbeat. She found it soothing.

"What do you think she'd say about this?" Shinji asked.

"I don't know."

"Are you lying?"

"Do you really want to know?"

"No." Shinji replied.

The woman snuggled in next to Shinji even more.

"Good night Shinji." She said softly.

Shinji smiled as he glanced down at the auburn haired woman.

"Good night Mana."


End file.
